Hillside Early Childhood Center

The Hillside Blog

The Power of Rhythm and Rhymes

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Rhythm and rhyme are woven into many aspects of our lives, such as oral story telling, conversations, literature, and music. These things are not only essential to learning language and connecting with one’s culture, but also crucial for brain development and concentration skills.

Beginning in infancy, humans find rhymes comforting and soothing. This also provides us with natural opportunities to explore patterns, phonemic awareness, and coordinated movements.

Rhyme is also supportive with a full body experience in which the rhythm of beats and music can support a vast variety of developmental skills. When looking at music specifically, keeping beat and tempo not only correlate with focus and attention, but also engage multiple parts of the brain at once. Coordinating one’s body with specific movements or at a specific pace support children’s understanding of sequence and control.

How to Support Language Development with Rhythm and Rhyme

  • Read alouds
    • This supports with the rhythm of words, but also practicing volume, tone, and pitch.
  • Finger Play Games
    • Acting out different words supports with easy recall and memorization.
  • Sing and Read Nursery Rhymes
    • The rhyming words encourage children to make

Rhyming Books We Recommend

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You  See? by Eric Carle
  • Whose Knees Are These? by Jabari Asim
  • Zin Zin Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss
  • Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
  • Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino
  • My Truck is Stuck! by Kevin Lewis
  • Jamberry by Bruce Degen
  • My Granny Went to Market by Stella Blackstone
  • Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
  • Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
  • Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Tips for Summer Safety

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Sun, Mosquitos and Water.. Oh My!

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Summer lasts quite a long time in Texas, and it’s important to be sun smart! Here are some ways that you can protect yourself and your children from ultraviolet (UV) rays when they’re outside.

  • Seek shade when necessary.
  • Wear sunglasses. They protect your child’s eyes fro UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life.
  • Use a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 every time your child goes outside. To best protect against the sun, apply the sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside, and make sure to also put sunscreen on the ears, noses, lips, and tops of feet.
  • Wear a hat that shades the face, scalp, ears, and neck.

Mosquito Prevention Tips

  • Avoid stagnant water.
  • Avoid scented soaps and perfumes.
  • Use insects repellents using DEET when trying to prevent insect-related diseases.
    • The AAP and CDC recommend that children older than 2 months of age use 10% to 30% DEET. DEEt should not be used under 2 months of age.
  • When going outside during times where many mosquitos are present, wear long sleeve shirts, pants, and socks to prevent bites.

Water Safety Tips

  • Parents and caregivers play a key role in protecting children from drowning. When children are in or around water, it is important to closely supervise them at all times.
  • Help prevent recreational water illnesses by keeping diaper germs away from the pool. Take children on regular bathroom or diaper-changing times to keep germs away from the pool.
  • Use lifejackets to stay safe while boating, kayaking, or paddle boarding. Properly fitted life jackets can prevent drownings.

5 Things That Set Hillside Early Childhood Center Apart

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Child-Directed Meal Time

We support children in learning how to listen to their bodies, and to have a positive relationship with food. We encourage children to feed themselves, and lead the process as they begin their life-long journey with food. Teachers support children in this learning and are active partners with the children and their caregivers.

Following the Child’s Lead

We believe that every child learns best in an environment where they can grow at his or her own rate. We contend that all forms of play are critical to the proper social and emotional development. We follow the child’s interests when creating curriculum and use their passions to guide and scaffold lessons and activities.

Community Engagement

We believe that parents, teachers, and administration are all one team, and that working together to connect home and school is crucial to a child’s development.

We have multiple opportunities for care givers to participate in their child’s education, as well as community building events.

Along with monthly happy hour gatherings and monthly school events, we have committees with dedicated members from our families and community.

High Quality Infant Care

We treat each infant as an indiviual – capable humans with their own personalities, needs, and motivations. We honor each child’s individuality and encourage them to explore freely without restraint or interruption.  Infants foster their love for the world and for learning by exploring open-ended materials.

Certified Wildlife Habitat

Because of our commitment to sustainable gardening, landscaping and conscious planning, wildlife is able to find quality habitat (such as food, water, cover) on our campus.

We are certified through the National Wildlife Federation, as well as the Texas Conservation Alliance.